1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a sheet feeder and to a sheet tray. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sheet feeder having a sheet tray body enabled to be accommodated in a sheet feeder body, and to a sheet tray having such a tray body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, sheet feeders each having a sheet tray enabled to be accommodated in a sheet feeder body have been known as sheet feeders for use in printers, plotters, and electronic copying machines. Such sheet feeders each having a sheet tray enabled to be accommodated in a sheet feeder body are disclosed in, for example, JP-A-8-81092, JP-B-6-71950, and JP-A-11-199101. Hereinafter, an ink jet printer is described as an example of conventional equipment having such a sheet feeder.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a condition (that is, a used condition) in which the sheet trays are drawn out of a conventional ink jet printer having the drawer type sheet trays. FIG. 11 is a sectional side of the conventional ink jet printer having the drawer type sheet trays. FIG. 12 is a sectional side view illustrating an accommodated condition (that is, an unused condition) in which the sheet trays are accommodated in the conventional ink jet printer.
First, an outline of the configuration of the ink jet printer having the conventional drawer type trays 105 and 106 by referring to FIGS. 10 to 12. The conventional inkjet printer has a bottom cover 101, a back cover 102 disposed on the rear surface thereof, and a front cover 103 disposed on the front surface thereof. A sheet mounting portion 104 is provided on the bottom cover 101. The bottom cover 101, the back cover 102, and the front cover 103 cover a motor (not shown) for driving a printer engine portion and other constituent elements of the printer. Further, sheet guide portions 107a and 107b are provided on the sheet mounting portion 104 (see FIG. 10). The sheet guide portion 107a is fixed to the sheet mounting portion 104. Moreover, the sheet guide portion 107b is attached to the sheet mounting portion 104 in such a manner as to be able to move in a transverse direction according to a sheet size.
Next, the details of the configuration of each of the conventional drawer type sheet trays 105 and 106 are described hereinbelow by referring to FIGS. 10 to 12. The conventional drawer type sheet tray 105 is mounted on the rear surface of the sheet mounting portion 104 in such a fashion as to be able to move in a direction parallel to a sheet feeding direction. Further, the sheet tray 106 is mounted on the back surface of the sheet tray 105. As shown in FIG. 12, when the sheet trays 105 and 106 are in an accommodated condition (that is, the non-use condition), these trays are accommodated in a space between the rear surface of the sheet mounting portion 104 and the back cover 102 of a printer body in such a way as to overlap with each other. When the sheet trays 105 and 106 are used, first, the sheet tray 106 is drawn out of the printer body. As the tray 106 is drawn out therefrom, the tray 105 mounted on the surface of the tray 106 is also draw out therefrom.
As described above, the sheet tray 105 is mounted on the rear surface of the sheet mounting portion 104 in the conventional sheet feeder. Thus, an upper part of the sheet mounting portion 104 overlaps with a lower portion of a surface of the sheet tray 105. Therefore, a step-like part is formed in a connection portion between the sheet tray 105 and the printer-body-side sheet mounting portion 104. This causes inconvenience that a sheet of paper is caught by the step-like part formed there between when the sheet of paper is transported along a sheet mounting surface of the sheet tray 105 and then put on the sheet mounting portion 104. Consequently, the conventional sheet feeder has encountered a problem in that this inconvenience adversely affects paper feeding.
The invention is accomplished to solve the aforementioned problem.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a sheet feeder enabled to substantially eliminate a difference in sheet-mounting-surface level, which is provided in the connection portion between adjoining two of a plurality of sheet tray portions of a sheet tray, and to provide a sheet tray having such sheet tray portions.
Another object of the invention is to smoothly achieve operations of connecting and accommodating a plurality of sheet tray portions in the sheet feeder and the sheet tray.
To attain the foregoing objects, according to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a sheet feeder that comprises a first sheet tray portion, which is disposed in such a way as to be able to rotate around a shaft provided in such a manner as to be nearly perpendicular to a sheet mounting surface, and enabled to be accommodated in a sheet feeder body, a second sheet tray portion, which is disposed in such a way as to be able to rotate around the shaft and as to be connected to the first sheet tray portion so that the second sheet tray portion partly overlaps with the first the sheet tray portion, and enabled to be accommodated in the sheet feeder body, and a thrusting member for frontwardly pushing the second sheet tray portion when the first and second sheet tray portions are connected to each other. A part of the first sheet tray portion, which overlaps with the second sheet tray portion, has a first thin portion. A part of the second sheet tray portion, which overlaps with the first sheet tray portion, has a second thin portion. The first and second thin portions butt against each other in an overlapping portion in which the first and second sheet tray portions partly overlap with each other, so that there is substantially no difference in sheet-mounting-surface level between the sheet mounting surfaces of the first and second sheet tray portions.
According to the first sheet feeder of the invention, as described above, the first and second tray portions are configured so that there is substantially no difference in sheet-mounting-surface level between the sheet mounting surfaces of the first and second sheet tray portions when the first thin part of the first sheet tray portion and the second thin part of the second sheet tray portion butt against each other in the overlapping portion in which the first and second sheet tray portions partly overlap with each other. Thus, the first sheet feeder effectively prevents an occurrence of inconvenience that a sheet of paper is caught by the step-like part formed between the first and second sheet tray portions when the sheet of paper is put on the sheet mounting surface thereof. Further, the thrusting member for frontwardly pushing the second sheet tray portion when the first and second sheet tray portions are connected to each other (that is, when the sheet feeder is used) is provided in the first sheet feeder. Thus, the sheet tray portions are easily placed in a position, in which the sheet tray portions cause substantially no difference in sheet-mounting-surface level between the sheet mounting surfaces thereof when the first and second sheet tray portions are connected to each other. Incidentally, each of the first and second sheet tray portions is disposed in such a way as to be able to rotate around the shaft that is provided in such a manner as to be nearly perpendicular to a sheet mounting surface, and enabled to be accommodated in the sheet feeder body. Thus, the first and second sheet tray bodies are easily drawn out when these sheet tray bodies are used, and accommodated when these sheet tray bodies are not used, by turning these sheet tray bodies, similarly as a fan is opened and closed.
According to an embodiment (hereunder referred to as a second sheet feeder) of the invention, at least one of the first and second thin portions has a tapered shape.
According to the second sheet feeder of the invention, as described above, at least one of the first and second thin portions is formed in such a way as to have a tapered shape. Thus, when the first and second sheet tray portions are connected to each other (that is, when the sheet feeder is used), the overlapping parts of the first and second sheet tray portions are connected to each other by smoothly overlapping and connecting the first thin portion and the second thin portion along the tapered shape thereof. Moreover, when the first and second tray portions are accommodated in the sheet feeder body, the first and second tray portions are permitted to smoothly overlap with each other. Consequently, operations of connecting and accommodating the first and second tray portions are smoothly performed.
According to an embodiment (hereunder referred to as a third sheet feeder) of the first or second sheet feeder of the invention, the thrusting member includes an abutting rib, which is integrally formed on the rear surface of the second sheet tray portion, for frontwardly the second sheet tray portion by abutting against the sheet feeder body as the second sheet tray portion turns.
According to the third sheet feeder of the invention, the abutting rib for frontwardly the second sheet tray portion by abutting against the sheet feeder body with turning the second sheet tray portion is integrally formed on the rear surface of the second sheet tray portion. Thus, the third sheet feeder has an advantageous effect in that the number of components and the number of man-hours needed for fabricating the sheet feeder remain unincreased even when the abutting rib serving as the thrusting member is added to the sheet feeder.
According to an embodiment (hereunder referred to as a fourth sheet feeder) of one of the first to third sheet feeders of the invention, the fourth sheet feeder further comprises an auxiliary tray provided in such a manner as to be able to be accommodated in the second sheet tray portion.
According to the fourth sheet feeder of the invention, as describe above, the auxiliary tray provided in such a manner as to be able to be accommodated in the second sheet tray portion is additionally provided in the sheet feeder. Thus, the area of a sheet mounting surface is increased still more. Consequently, when a sheet of paper of a large size is put on the sheet mounting surface of the sheet tray body, the sheet of paper is put thereon without bending an upper part of the sheet of paper. Thus, paper feeding is stably performed.
To achieve the foregoing objects, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a sheet tray that comprises a first sheet tray portion, which is disposed in such a way as to be able to rotate around a shaft provided in such a manner as to be nearly perpendicular to a sheet mounting surface, and enabled to be accommodated in a sheet feeder body, and also has a second sheet tray portion, which is disposed in such a way as to be able to rotate around the shaft and as to be connected to the first sheet tray portion, and enabled to be accommodated in the sheet feeder body. This sheet feeder further comprises a thrusting member for frontwardly pushing the second sheet tray portion when the first and second sheet tray portions are connected to each other. In this sheet tray, each of the first and second sheet tray portions is formed in such a manner as to have an overlapping part when connected to each other. Further, at least one of the first and second tray portions is formed so that the thickness of the overlapping part thereof is less than that of the remaining part thereof.
According to this sheet tray, as described above, the overlapping parts of the first and second tray portions are constructed so that the thickness of the overlapping part of at least one of the first and second tray portions is less than that of the remaining part thereof. Thus, this effectively prevents an occurrence of inconvenience that a sheet of paper is caught by a step-like part that would be formed between the first and second sheet tray portions when the sheet of paper is put on the sheet mounting surface thereof. Further, this sheet tray has the thrusting member for frontwardly pushing the second sheet tray portion when the first and second sheet tray portions are connected to each other. Thus, when the first and second sheet tray portions are connected to each other (that is, when the sheet feeder is used), the first and second tray portions are easily placed in a predetermined connection position. Incidentally, each of the first and second sheet tray portions is disposed in such a way as to be able to rotate around the shaft that is provided in such a manner as to be nearly perpendicular to a sheet mounting surface, and enabled to be accommodated in the sheet feeder body. Thus, the first and second sheet tray bodies are easily drawn out when these sheet tray bodies are used, and accommodated when these sheet tray bodies are not used, by turning these sheet tray bodies, similarly as a fan is opened and closed.
To achieve the foregoing objects, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a sheet feeder (hereunder referred to as a fifth sheet feeder) that comprises a first sheet tray portion, which is disposed in such a way as to be able to rotate around a shaft provided in such a manner as to be nearly perpendicular to a sheet mounting surface, and enabled to be accommodated in a sheet feeder body, and a second sheet tray portion, which is disposed in such a way as to be able to rotate around the shaft and as to be connected to the first sheet tray portion, and enabled to be accommodated in the sheet feeder body, and a thrusting member for frontwardly pushing the second sheet tray portion when the first and second sheet tray portions are connected to each other. In this sheet feeder, each of the first and second sheet tray portions are formed in such a manner as to have an overlapping part when connected to each other. Furthermore, at least one of the first and second tray portions is formed so that the thickness of the overlapping part thereof is less than that of the remaining part thereof.
According to the fifth sheet feeder of the invention, as described above, the overlapping parts of the first and second tray portions are constructed so that the thickness of the overlapping part of at least one of the first and second tray portions is less than that of the remaining part thereof. Thus, this effectively prevents an occurrence of inconvenience that a sheet of paper is caught by a step-like part that would be formed between the first and second sheet tray portions when the sheet of paper is put on the sheet mounting surface thereof. Further, this sheet tray has the thrusting member for frontwardly pushing the second sheet tray portion when the first and second sheet tray portions are connected to each other. Thus, when the first and second sheet tray portions are connected to each other (that is, when the sheet feeder is used), the first and second tray portions are easily placed in a predetermined connection position. Incidentally, each of the first and second sheet tray portions is disposed in such a way as to be able to rotate around the shaft that is provided in such a manner as to be nearly perpendicular to a sheet mounting surface, and enabled to be accommodated in the sheet feeder body. Thus, the first and second sheet tray bodies are easily drawn out when these sheet tray bodies are used, and accommodated when these sheet tray bodies are not used, by turning these sheet tray bodies, similarly as a fan is opened and closed.